Chapter 161
Chapter Title: The Imperial Princess’s Request
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Lumerne First-Year Faculty Office.
Nine men and women stood with tense expressions.
Standing in rigid postures, they were waiting for someone.
Just then.
*Step— Step—*
A middle-aged professor with a sharp expression walked toward them.
Seeing the professor, the nine men and women grew even more tense.
“Are you the temporary instructors selected for this term?”
“Yes! That is correct!”
The Lumerne professor scanned the nine of them with a sharp gaze.
Then, crossing his arms, he dragged a chair over with a *scrape—!* and sat before them.
‘The pressure is immense!’
‘They said Professor Halind would be in charge of us at Lumerne, so that must be him.’
‘S-So this is one of Lumerne’s top professors!’
The promising young professors from Ikot, Emeral, and Scoun calmed their trembling hearts.
They had all come to the hero academy for training as Lumerne’s temporary instructors.
It was a chance to potentially be appointed as associate professors at Lumerne.
They focused their minds and listened intently to the Lumerne professor.
“Alright. You, then.”
“Y-Yes?”
He gestured with his chin toward the female professor from Ikot on the far left.
“Tell me about the mindset of a professor.”
“A professor is someone who helps students. They must understand what students want…”
“Wrong! Next!”
“A professor is someone who leads students…”
“You’re wrong too! Next!”
Watching the unforgiving Lumerne professor, the remaining temporary instructors looked on nervously.
‘As expected of Lumerne…!’
‘They must have a profound philosophy on educational values!’
Everyone swallowed nervously and racked their brains.
But not one of the nine managed to give him a satisfactory answer.
“Hmph. I had high expectations, hearing you were all outstanding professors. How disappointing.”
“W-We apologize.”
“No. There’s no need to apologize. Are you all not still in a position to learn? No. In truth, humans are creatures who learn from the moment they are born until they die. I, too, sometimes learn from my students.”
His expression softened, a stark contrast to moments before.
Seeing him, the temporary instructors looked touched.
‘I heard Professor Halind was very frightening?’
‘The rumors must have been wrong.’
‘His character is extraordinary. I think I can learn a lot.’
“So, what is the mindset a professor must have? It is!”
The professor crossed his arms.
“Elegance.”
“Pardon?”
“Elegance! That is the mindset a teacher must possess! A teacher must always be an object of aspiration for their students! One must always be prepared to be looked up to by them! Now! I shall begin with introductions! Everyone, appeal to me with your elegance!”
“What are you doing, Sedgen?”
“Ah, you’ve arrived, Halind.”
“Aren’t you supposed to be in charge of the students?”
“Hmph. I heard some promising young instructors had arrived, so I came to impart a bit of wisdom. Just wait about an hour.”
“Drag him out.”
Halind said mercilessly, looking at the enthusiastic Sedgen.
At his command, Ain and Ren, who had come with him, seized Sedgen and began dragging him out of the faculty office.
“Ain! Ren! It is because of my teachings that you are who you are today! These are young instructors with bright futures! They surely have much to learn from me… Ugh! Let go! Let go! You dogs of Halind! I said, let go!”
Sedgen’s desperate shouts echoed, but Ain and Ren mercilessly dragged their own master out of the office.
“I-Is that really okay?”
A professor from Emeral asked cautiously, and Yura, who had arrived with Halind, smiled brightly.
“It’s a daily occurrence, so you’ll get used to it.”
Despite the commotion, the other professors working in the office didn’t even bat an eye.
As the temporary instructors watched in wonder, Halind sat down in the chair Sedgen had occupied and spoke.
“I will now announce the department schedule.”
“Um… do we not need to introduce ourselves?”
The female professor on the far left raised her hand and asked timidly, drawing Halind’s cold gaze.
“Why would we need to do that?”
“Eek!”
Overwhelmed by Halind, she wore a frightened expression.
Halind averted his gaze from her and began to recite the schedule.
A flustered professor from Scoun watched Halind and hurriedly raised his hand.
“P-Professor! Time to take notes…!”
“I was told you are all young and competent professors.”
Halind said indifferently.
“You should be able to understand this much at once, shouldn’t you?”
With that, Halind resumed explaining the schedule.
The nine instructors did their best to cram all of Halind’s words into their minds.
Finishing his rapid-fire explanation, Halind narrowed his eyes.
“Any questions?”
At his question, the temporary instructors were unable to ask anything.
They were too busy trying to organize the words Halind had just forced into their heads.
“Just as expected of outstanding professors. To understand it all at once.”
The corners of Halind's mouth curled up as he gestured with his chin.
“You may go, then.”
After saying that, Halind went to his own desk.
The temporary instructors looked at Yura with crestfallen expressions.
Meeting their gazes, Yura smiled brightly and said.
“It’s a daily occurrence, so you’ll get used to it.”
Hearing Yura repeat her earlier words verbatim, the temporary instructors looked bewildered.
“Professors from Scoun, please follow me. Your Summoning major class is after lunch.”
At Yura’s words, the Scoun professors followed her out of the faculty office.
Ain and Ren, having returned after escorting Sedgen out, also left the office with the professors from Ikot and Emeral, respectively, to prepare for their classes.
Sitting at his desk, Halind narrowed his eyes.
‘Could there be a spy among them?’
Throughout the semester, Tartaros had carried out various schemes against Lumerne.
Tartaros was always behind the major incidents.
And Lumerne’s upper echelons had still not managed to catch the tail of Tartaros within the school.
In such a situation, they had accepted hundreds of outsiders.
There was no guarantee Tartaros wouldn’t try another trick.
‘Their goal is to slowly but surely shake Lumerne to its core.’
Indeed, the incidents during the first semester had shaken Lumerne’s standing.
This joint class was the result.
Of course, Lumerne’s reputation and influence remained untarnished.
However…
‘A small tremor can one day create a small crack, and a small crack can become a massive fissure.’
In this situation, cutting off external exchanges and focusing inward would have been one of the best options.
But Lumerne had accepted outside students.
‘This must be the headmaster’s way of saying, ‘Bring it on.’’
The greatest hero of the current era.
The hero who subjugated a legion commander of Tartaros.
The Sword Saint, Kalian Veydean.
Kalian had organized this joint class as a way to reassert his sound presence.
A declaration of his will to stand on the front lines should any incident occur.
‘I must support him well.’
Halind sighed deeply and opened the student roster.
While managing the students from other academies was technically Sedgen’s role, the background checks were Halind’s.
Thanks to that, personnel from Lumerne’s highest echelons were currently assigned to Halind.
Sedgen’s sudden decision to handle the professors earlier was a considerate gesture to lighten Halind’s burden.
Halind began flipping through the student roster with sharp eyes.
***
Lunchtime.
Leo was leisurely strolling through Lumerne’s Great Library.
Besides Leo, the Great Library was filled with students from other academies.
They wandered around, exclaiming in awe at Lumerne’s Great Library.
Chen Xia, who had a Summoning class with Leo after lunch, approached him with a smile.
“The Hall of Heroes is packed with people.”
The Hall of Heroes, also known as the Relic Vault.
It was a place where the legendary armaments used by countless active heroes lay dormant.
And right now, the sword of the Sword Saint, Kalian, was on display in the Hall of Heroes.
Even though he was the headmaster, Kalian was a rare sight even for Lumerne students.
As such, students from other academies flocked to the Great Library, hoping to see the famed sword that accompanied the achievements of Kalian, the greatest hero of this era.
“Speaking of which, Young Master Leo, you’ve spoken with the headmaster several times, haven’t you?”
Chen Xia’s eyes sparkled.
“What is he like?”
“He just seems like a neighborhood grandpa.”
“I think you’re the only person in the world who would describe the Sword Saint as a neighborhood grandpa, Leo.”
Chen Xia let out a giggle and pulled a book from the shelf.
It was a book about the Hero of the Beginning, Kyle.
“Oh, perfect. Books about the Hero of the Beginning are so popular lately that it’s hard to find them since so many students have checked them out.”
“You’re interested too?”
“Of course. By the way, Young Master Leo, didn’t you say you were starting a club related to the Hero of the Beginning?”
“Yeah. I just need to get members, and it should be approved.”
While keeping up with his academic schedule, Leo had been steadily preparing for the club.
“Well, all my close friends have already joined other clubs, so there’s no one left to join.”
At Leo’s words, Chen Xia paused for a moment, then smiled brightly.
“I’m not in any clubs. Should I join for you?”
“Oh? Would you?”
“In exchange.”
Chen Xia smiled and tilted her head slightly.
“Call me ‘big sis’ just once.”
“…Do I really have to do that?”
“Of course. You always treat me like I’m younger, but I’m two years older than you, Young Master Leo. I’m clearly your senior.”
Chin held high, Chen Xia slowly swept her hair back.
Then, with a strangely deep gaze, she said.
“You can feel the mature charm, can’t you?”
“Looks more like a kid pretending to be a grown-up.”
Chen Xia pouted.
It was then.
*Murmur— Murmur—*
The Great Library grew noisy.
Leo and Chen Xia looked toward the entrance with puzzled expressions.
A rather strange sight was unfolding there.
A blonde female student in a Scoun uniform was entering the Great Library, accompanied by a retinue of Lumerne students.
What’s more, the Lumerne students following her were from various different years.
‘Who is she to have so many people trailing after her? Huh? Wait. I see some familiar faces.’
Leo spotted a few familiar people in the crowd of students.
They were classmates who took the western entrance exam with him, as well as upperclassmen who had taken it before.
The common thread was that they were all nobles from the Rodren Empire.
As Leo watched the group with curiosity, the girl who had been scanning the library’s interior soon met his eyes.
She smiled brightly and approached him.
“You’re Leo Flove, correct?”
The girl, around Chelsea’s age, asked Leo in an elegant voice.
“Yeah, I am. Who are you?”
“You don’t know me?”
The girl asked, her voice tinged with surprise.
“This is the first time I’m seeing you, so of course I don’t. Are you famous or something?”
As Leo spoke indifferently, the first-years next to him looked flustered and began mouthing something, as if trying to tell him.
But before they could, a second-year, Varden of a Jerdinger branch family, scowled and snapped.
“Watch your insolent tongue, Leo Flove. This is Her Highness Shasha Sienne Rodren, the Crown Princess of the Rodren Empire.”
At Varden’s introduction, Leo made an “Oh-“ expression.
The two great hero families of the Rodren Empire.
Jerdinger and Llewellyn.
For ages, the two had supported Rodren and served as vassals to one family.
The imperial family, Rodren.
Although the Rodren imperial family had bestowed immense power upon their vassals, the master-servant relationship remained unshaken even after all these years.
That was because the Rodren imperial family was itself a renowned hero family that had produced numerous heroes.
If Jerdinger and Llewellyn were knights and mages, then Rodren was the ‘Summoner’.
When the empire faced a crisis.
It was the Rodren emperor who would step forward as the final hero to protect the nation.
As such, the next emperor of Rodren was decided solely by ‘skill’.
And Shasha, who was turning fourteen this year, had already surpassed her siblings four years ago to claim the title of Crown Princess.
Leo, too, had heard plenty about Shasha from Celia and Chelsea.
“What does the princess want with me?”
“I came to meet a future subject.”
At Shasha’s words, a stir went through the entire Great Library.
The three great elite academies housed many children of the world’s most powerful figures.
Shasha was one of them.
For her to say that was tantamount to declaring, in front of everyone, that she would accept Leo as a future asset to the empire.
Everyone held their breath and focused on Leo and Shasha.
Even the students from the Rodren Empire looked extremely flustered, as if they hadn’t anticipated this situation.
“In that spirit, Leo Flove. No, since I’ll be a Lumerne student next year myself, I’ll call you ‘Senior.’ Senior Leo.”
Shasha elegantly extended her hand to Leo and said.
“Will you escort me to the next Summoning class?”
No matter how much Lumerne prioritized skill, she was still the princess of the Rodren Empire.
Especially a Crown Princess, who could not be treated lightly.
Furthermore, she was set to become a Lumerne student next year.
Everyone watched to see how Leo would respond.
‘Refusing here would be difficult.’
‘In a way, she’s warning off other factions who have their eyes on Leo Flove, isn’t she?’
‘A clever move.’
Just as the students were marveling at her.
Leo spoke in a bored tone.
“What is this insolent little brat talking about?”